HOWTO: DIY Sliding Disconnects

[gimlithepirate]

EDIT: The thread below quickly devolves into a dumpster fire. TLDR: the disconnects work exactly as intended and this post has the instructions. Beyond that, feel free to ignore the mass of comments on this.

After reading a brief how to with not quite enough detail on the FJ Cruiser forums (Front Sway Bar Sliding Links - Deconstructed | Toyota FJ Cruiser Forum), I figured it would be a good idea to write up my experience making sliding disconnects for the 4Runner. These directions will work for both a 4th gen and a 5th gen theoretically, but I have only tested it on a 4th.

Also, let me preface this by saying that if any part of these instructions makes you squeamish, go order from Mstudt. Both his and mine are based off the discontinued Aussie design, but he actually knows what he's doing. I just enjoy building/breaking things, so I thought I'd give this a whirl.

Additionally, if you live in the land of snow and rust and want to do these, you will need to remove the every winter. While they are corrosion resistant, the open Heim joints are likely to have significant rust problems.

One last thing, do not do this mod until you have already done a swaybar relocation bracket. Multiple people who have done this mod have noted it gets extremely noisy and gets shocked a lot if you don't move the sway bar. I also suspect it would increase your odds of contacting the CV boots.

Why sliding swaybar disconnects?
Lets briefly talk about what this will and won't do. If you are one of those that drives without swaybars, you can stop reading and do something else. No swaybar offers more articulation than these period. However, if you're like me and can't quite do no swaybar, this mod is for you.

However, this is not a jeep disconnect. This is not suddenly going to make your front end super slinky. All it will do is allow the left and right side to move 4 inches up and down without the sway bar getting involved. That's it. While this is significant, it's more of a driving dynamics thing than a capability thing. This is closer to a poor-mans KDSS than a Rubicon esque disconnected solid axle.

Unfortunately, on the 120 platform, this is the best we can do for a disconnect. The swaybar cannot be moved up and out of the way like on a 3rd gen due to the geometry of the sway bar and suspension. If you just disconnect the end link and leave it there, it WILL end up in your CV boot and ruin your day. This buys us as much as it can without damaging things.

What you will need

To build these, you will need the following parts for EACH disconnect:

• 1x 180mm long M12x1.75mm thread socket head screw
• 3x Nylon-Insert Locknut, M12x1.75mm thread
• 1x 4mm Cotter Pin
• 1x Unthreaded spacer for M12 Screw size
• 1x Thin Hex Nut (aka jam nut) M12x1.75 thread
• 1x 4mm Black-and-Gold Oxide High-Speed Drill Bit
• 1x M12x1.75mm Female Heim or Rose joint
• 1x M12x1.75mm Male Heim or Rose joint

I bough most of my parts from McMaster Carr:

A couple of notes on my McMaster Carr order. First of all, I got Stainless Steel where I could. Less corrosion, more better. However, there are two parts that must NOT be SS: the spacer and the socket screw. We're going to need to drill a hole through these later. The best options I could find corrosion wise that I thought I'd be able to drill were a black oxide screw and an aluminum spacer. One other note on McMaster Carr, if you've never ordered from them before, they won't tell you what shipping is until after your order is placed. Expect 10-15$ in shipping for the parts above.

The Heim Joints are from a U.K. shop called McGill Motorsports. They also sell on eBay, which is where I ordered so I didn't have to figure out currency conversions, etc.:
M12 x 1.75mm Female Right Hand Thread Economy Rose Joint Bronze Liner Rod End RH | eBay
M12x1.75mm Male Rod End Right Hand RH Thread Rose Joint 12mm Bronze Liner SAK12B | eBay
I picked out their economy heims because they are greaseable, and the end links don't need the tighter tolerances of their higher end options. Finding M12x1.75mm heims is not easy (thus the order from the U.K.), but is the best way to ensure a good fit in the sway bar and spindle.

Build Process
The build on this is easy. The hard part is getting the hole drilled through the spacer and the socket head screw. You should get a drill press to do this, and plan on burning at least one of the 4mm bits for each end link. For those new to drilling metal, the key is lots and lots of cooling oil. I used PBlaster. On the first one I did a good job cooling and my bit got through no problem. On the second one I didn't and my bit dies on me 3/4 of the way through. The first bit had just enough edge left on it to finish.

The key to getting your hole in the right place is to make a jig. Drill a 1/2" hole in a piece of wood, and use clamps to hold everything in place as shown below:

Now, if you ignored my earlier admonition to have a drill press, attach a piece of wood to the top of your jig. If you are stupid enough to use a hand drill like I did, make sure its at least a hammer drill. That's the only reason I was able to get through.

Once you have your hole drilled, it is time for assembly:

It is VITAL that anywhere there is a thread, you use blue threadlocker. If this thing comes apart on the trail, it will destroy your CV boot. Once you are sure you have everything assembled the way you like, I'd even consider using red threadlocker on the threads at the end of the socket screw.

Additionally, you need to make sure that any and all nuts are fully threaded. There are just enough threads on the socket screw for the bottom nut, heim, and top nut. Make sure you have at least one round of threads poking out the top of it.

Install on Vehicle

Male side goes to the top in the spindle, female side into the swaybar at the bottom. Make sure to put blue threadlocker on both sets of threads before attaching. Also, rotate the socket head bolt until the R-Clip is facing you.

If you buy your R-Clips from McMaster Carr, it comes in a pack of 5. Put 2 of the extras in your glove box for when you leave one on your bumper while prepping for the trail :

With that, you are good to go! To use, pull the R-clips. When you are done, park on level terrain and put the clips back in. If you can't find level terrain, put which ever one is easier to get on first, and then put the wheel for the one that hasn't been done on a rise. That should push the swaybar to the bottom, and let you put the clip in.

Improvements
This is more a placeholder than anything for future thoughts. The one thing I would say for now is if you want better dynamics when connected, go with a shorter socket bolt. I picked the longest one that would fit to maximize the value of the mod in terms of articulation. However, as you lift you actually want a shorter sway bar endlink to return to stock dynamics. This is because the attachment point on the spindle moves downward relative to the pivot point of the sway bar on the frame. I would not go any longer though, as I have about a finger-width of clearance between the CV boot and the end of the socket bolt.

 

[Drcoffee]

How do you get the pin back in when the suspension is under load. Do you need to jack it up?

 

[gimlithepirate]

How do you get the pin back in when the suspension is under load. Do you need to jack it up?

No. When you are on flat ground, the sway bar will sit at the base of the disconnect. That said, if it isn't flat, there will be issues.

Jacking up a side will work if you can't find flat ground though.

 

[duffdog]

Does the bolt just rattle around when the clip is removed? What is to stop this "solution" from getting snagged on something and ripping the steel apart when it catches on something? It seems like this design is just asking for a major accident. I can already see the chinesium hitch pin snapping and the bolt bending toward the rotor, jamming a wheel to a complete stop and flipping the entire truck over on the freeway.

This is going to be on the "scary steering pages" pretty soon unless you delete this thread and put the components back the way Toyota designed it. You have not solved anything, what you have done is create a potentially dangerous, completely non-engineered, cobbled-together nightmare that may kill someone.

 

[gimlithepirate]

Does the bolt just rattle around when the clip is removed? What is to stop this "solution" from getting snagged on something and ripping the steel apart when it catches on something? It seems like this design is just asking for a major accident. I can already see the chinesium hitch pin snapping and the bolt bending toward the rotor, jamming a wheel to a complete stop and flipping the entire truck over on the freeway.

This is going to be on the "scary steering pages" pretty soon unless you delete this thread and put the components back the way Toyota designed it. You have not solved anything, what you have done is create a potentially dangerous, completely non-engineered, cobbled-together nightmare that may kill someone.

Somehow, I knew when I read the reply it was DuffDog. Every forum needs a troll I guess.

The top end of the bolt is secured to the spindle. When the pin is removed, the sway bar is capable of moving up and down the rod. Since the top end is secured to the spindle, the distance between the bottom of the bolt and CV axle never changes. It will move up and down with them. As stated above, all this allows is your right and left side to move independently up to 4 inches before the sway bar gets involved.

As to deleting this thread and all your other scary predictions, this very design is sold by some of the vendors on the forum, and has been used extensively by the FJ cruiser crowd. While there have been some issues with bolts coming loose and tearing CV boots for early versions of this design, using the jam nut as the inner spacer, along with blue threadlocker solved the problem. I take no credit for this design, that belongs to a now defunct Aussie company. All I did was provide a more detailed writeup on how to build it than the original writeup on the FJ Cruiser forum.

 

[Drcoffee]

Im all for DIY. I was Just curious how difficult it would be to restore before hitting the highway. Maybe just a pry bar to nudge it is all it would take. Nice clean work.

 

[duffdog]

Somehow, I knew when I read the reply it was DuffDog. Every forum needs a troll I guess.

The top end of the bolt is secured to the spindle. When the pin is removed, the sway bar is capable of moving up and down the rod. Since the top end is secured to the spindle, the distance between the bottom of the bolt and CV axle never changes. It will move up and down with them. As stated above, all this allows is your right and left side to move independently up to 4 inches before the sway bar gets involved.

As to deleting this thread and all your other scary predictions, this very design is sold by some of the vendors on the forum, and has been used extensively by the FJ cruiser crowd. While there have been some issues with bolts coming loose and tearing CV boots for early versions of this design, using the jam nut as the inner spacer, along with blue threadlocker solved the problem. I take no credit for this design, that belongs to a now defunct Aussie company. All I did was provide a more detailed writeup on how to build it than the original writeup on the FJ Cruiser forum.

I guess some people should not be allowed to work on cars... If you cannot tell what the problem is just by looking at the "design", you don't need to ever operate a wrench ever again. The fact that a defunct company (who probably got sued when several school children died as a result of their poor engineering and are now in jail) "sold something once on a forum" does not make it a good design. Leave the homemade fabri-cobbled crap on the jeep forums. Additionally, you would probably be shocked to discover that a FRONT swaybar disconnect has little to no effect on the articulation of a truck with the weight of the entire engine pressing down on the front suspension. Literally, this solution cannot possibly do anything beneficial.

So now, you have a "mod" which is dangerous, non-functional, obsolete and cannot possibly do anything except kill you... Good job! The world needs more slobs like you, it is far too overpopulated.

 

[gimlithepirate]

Im all for DIY. I was Just curious how difficult it would be to restore before hitting the highway. Maybe just a pry bar to nudge it is all it would take. Nice clean work.

Totally valid question! I'll let you know when I try putting them back on xD I tried it since there is a ton of documentation on this on the FJ forum. The instructions for actually building it just weren't as detailed as I'd like, plus I wanted to replicate some of the more helpful elements over here.

Gotta get my PS pump and alternator installed first so I can get back on the road. Then its time for a test of these guys in terms of lock vs unlock.

 

[gimlithepirate]

I guess some people should not be allowed to work on cars... If you cannot tell what the problem is just by looking at the "design", you don't need to ever operate a wrench ever again. The fact that a defunct company (who probably got sued when several school children died as a result of their poor engineering and are now in jail) "sold something once on a forum" does not make it a good design. Leave the homemade fabri-cobbled crap on the jeep forums. Additionally, you would probably be shocked to discover that a FRONT swaybar disconnect has little to no effect on the articulation of a truck with the weight of the entire engine pressing down on the front suspension. Literally, this solution cannot possibly do anything beneficial.

So now, you have a "mod" which is dangerous, non-functional, obsolete and cannot possibly do anything except kill you... Good job! The world needs more slobs like you, it is far too overpopulated.

Oh man, its a good thing you aren't an inspector here in NM. you'd probably fail half the cars on the road xD

You are absolutely right about articulation. This has no effect on that. What it does is allow the IFS to operate independently, which is helpful offroad. Its not perfect, but it is better than nothing.

In terms of the safety issues you see, this is probably safer than the spacer lift, or 1000 other things people do to their cars for offroad use. Also trust me when I say there will be a lot of careful inspection to make sure these sit the way I want in less than ideal situations.

At the end of the day, this was a fun little DIY "hmm, wonder if I can do that" sort of experiment. It worked out better than I was afraid, so I figured I'd post it for others to have fun with. Heck, I'd probably recommend avoiding this mod if you live in the north with lots of salt and panic maneuvers on ice.

Anyway, duffdog always a pleasure. :target::target::target:

 

[duffdog]

Oh man, its a good thing you aren't an inspector here in NM. you'd probably fail half the cars on the road xD

You are absolutely right about articulation. This has no effect on that. What it does is allow the IFS to operate independently, which is helpful offroad. Its not perfect, but it is better than nothing.

In terms of the safety issues you see, this is probably safer than the spacer lift, or 1000 other things people do to their cars for offroad use. Also trust me when I say there will be a lot of careful inspection to make sure these sit the way I want in less than ideal situations.

At the end of the day, this was a fun little DIY "hmm, wonder if I can do that" sort of experiment. It worked out better than I was afraid, so I figured I'd post it for others to have fun with. Heck, I'd probably recommend avoiding this mod if you live in the north with lots of salt and panic maneuvers on ice.

Anyway, duffdog always a pleasure. :target::target::target:

I just don't want you to get hurt, that's all. I may be slightly overdramatic on occasion, but I don't wish other wheelers to suffer life threatening injuries because people didn't speak up when they could see that there was a problem that could potentially cause injury.

 

[gimlithepirate]

Took the links out on their first trial the other day. Definitely made the front tires move better. Main gain was ride smoothness on washes and the like. Surprised me how much up articulation I gained, based on the number of times I was rubbing against the fenders... (After I get my bumper and alignment from adjust the front end I may need to do some trimming up there).

One note, one set of my links the hole is not centered as well as I would like. Consequently, the collar and the center bolt need to be facing the "right" way to get the pin back in. This is what I get for not following my own advice about using a drill press xD I put a dot of pain on the base of the hex bolt and the collar so I can tell if everything is lined up when reattaching.

On flat ground, it was pretty easy to return the sway bar to the position needed to reattach the cotter pin.

Can't wait to try this out in some more challenging terrain.

 

[Keros]

Additionally, you would probably be shocked to discover that a FRONT swaybar disconnect has little to no effect on the articulation of a truck with the weight of the entire engine pressing down on the front suspension. Literally, this solution cannot possibly do anything beneficial.

Hey Duffdog, 100% not trolling you here. I'm confused by the assessment that this won't improve articulation, can you elaborate more on this?

My understanding of front end articulation is that by definition it is the ability for one wheel to droop and the other to compress at the same time. Thus, since the sway bar by design resists this by being a spring that connects the two sides together (where no tension is applied when the wheels move up or down together, but twists and provides resistance when they move opposite or independently).

I would thereby have assumed this would make a very notable difference in available articulation.

Thanks man

 

[duffdog]

Hey Duffdog, 100% not trolling you here. I'm confused by the assessment that this won't improve articulation, can you elaborate more on this?

My understanding of front end articulation is that by definition it is the ability for one wheel to droop and the other to compress at the same time. Thus, since the sway bar by design resists this by being a spring that connects the two sides together (where no tension is applied when the wheels move up or down together, but twists and provides resistance when they move opposite or independently).

I would thereby have assumed this would make a very notable difference in available articulation.

Thanks man

No problem. The assertion that once the front swaybar is removed, the wheels can then articulate further than when they were tied together is a typical error. The rear of the vehicle is mechanically limited by the sway bar links, thus removing them on a straight axle provides greater articulation between left and right tires. It would be natural to assume that due to successful improvement in performance by removing the swaybar in the rear, it must stand to reason that altering or removing the swaybar in the front IFS configuration must have the same effect. Unfortunately, this does not take into account the enormous weight of the v8 engine in the 4runner. It is so heavy that lifting up one wheel with the swaybar installed and the swaybar completely uninstalled might give you a difference of 1/2" or less total articulation before the suspension is fully compressed. It is not possible to compress the suspension further than when it is fully compressed, and I can do this on my truck with the swaybar installed. The weight of the engine simply pushes down everything until the tires both touch on the terrain. One would think that the sway bar is capable of keeping one tire up in the air, but it is just not strong enough to do that. It tries...sure, but its torsional spring force is easily overcome by the engine weight making little to no difference in tire contact.

 

[gimlithepirate]

Hey Duffdog, 100% not trolling you here. I'm confused by the assessment that this won't improve articulation, can you elaborate more on this?

My understanding of front end articulation is that by definition it is the ability for one wheel to droop and the other to compress at the same time. Thus, since the sway bar by design resists this by being a spring that connects the two sides together (where no tension is applied when the wheels move up or down together, but twists and provides resistance when they move opposite or independently).

I would thereby have assumed this would make a very notable difference in available articulation.

Thanks man

I'm sure duffdog will come along with his own explanation, but I'll offer mine in the mean time since I sort of agree with his assessment.

"Articulation" is a word used in offroad circles to mean lots of different things. The technically correct one is what you used: the max difference between the left and right wheel. For this type of articulation, this mod adds 4" of articulation. Not bad, but also not spectacular.

The other way the word is used, particularly for SFA vehicles like jeeps when talking about sway bars, is to talk about the available down ward travel of a wheel while the other is in a neutral position. If you've seen a Jeep Rubicon where its front end looks like a slinky, that's typically what Jeepers are thinking when they say "articulation." This mod only marginally increases this particular measurement, because the maximum downward travel is not changed.

Put another way, if you jack up the 4runner so its fully drooped out, and then start raising one wheel, with the sway bar engaged the other will start raising about the time you reach your normal ride height. You haven't gained much in terms of the difference between a fully drooped wheel and a neutral wheel.

Now, what the mod does do for this case is allow more freedom of motion between the two. So while the difference at full droop is no bigger, it's easier to reach that point, which is where most of the gains are.

Did any of that make sense? Or have I just made things more confusing xD

 

[EdmundGTP]

I suspect any gain in articulation could be proven by jacking up one front wheel until the other leaves the ground and measuring the height difference. Once with the swaybar, once without, and once with the disconnects installed. This would be interesting to see, I think.

 

[gimlithepirate]

I suspect any gain in articulation could be proven by jacking up one front wheel until the other leaves the ground and measuring the height difference. Once with the swaybar, once without, and once with the disconnects installed. This would be interesting to see, I think.

That's a good thought. Not sure when I will have time to try that, but whenever I do I will give it a shot. I can measure lifted tire height when the other tire comes off the ground in each case. Basically a poor man's "ramp test."

 

[duffdog]

I'm sure duffdog will come along with his own explanation, but I'll offer mine in the mean time since I sort of agree with his assessment.

"Articulation" is a word used in offroad circles to mean lots of different things. The technically correct one is what you used: the max difference between the left and right wheel. For this type of articulation, this mod adds 4" of articulation. Not bad, but also not spectacular.

The other way the word is used, particularly for SFA vehicles like jeeps when talking about sway bars, is to talk about the available down ward travel of a wheel while the other is in a neutral position. If you've seen a Jeep Rubicon where its front end looks like a slinky, that's typically what Jeepers are thinking when they say "articulation." This mod only marginally increases this particular measurement, because the maximum downward travel is not changed.

Put another way, if you jack up the 4runner so its fully drooped out, and then start raising one wheel, with the sway bar engaged the other will start raising about the time you reach your normal ride height. You haven't gained much in terms of the difference between a fully drooped wheel and a neutral wheel.

Now, what the mod does do for this case is allow more freedom of motion between the two. So while the difference at full droop is no bigger, it's easier to reach that point, which is where most of the gains are.

Did any of that make sense? Or have I just made things more confusing xD

Based on what engineering facts exactly? The weight of the vehicle including the engine, a 100lb winch, 200lb bumper and beadlocks wheels with 33's which each weigh 110lbs simply erases any gains that might theoretically occur with a swaybar disconnect. There are a hundred pictures showing my truck on a trail at maximum articulation with all tires on the ground including the front two, one in a ditch and the other stuffed into the fender. Yet somehow the front swaybar on my truck remains connected.

Fact: swaybars are intended for a specific vehicle weight
Fact: adding weight to a vehicle reduces the efficiency of any swaybar system

Opinion: "A front swaybar disconnect might do something because I like swaybar disconnects"

 

[gimlithepirate]

Based on what engineering facts exactly? The weight of the vehicle including the engine, a 100lb winch, 200lb bumper and beadlocks wheels with 33's which each weigh 110lbs simply erases any gains that might theoretically occur with a swaybar disconnect. There are a hundred pictures showing my truck on a trail at maximum articulation with all tires on the ground including the front two, one in a ditch and the other stuffed into the fender. Yet somehow the front swaybar on my truck remains connected.

Fact: swaybars are intended for a specific vehicle weight
Fact: adding weight to a vehicle reduces the efficiency of any swaybar system

Opinion: "A front swaybar disconnect might do something because I like swaybar disconnects"

If a swaybar is designed correctly (which Toyotas is), then the vehicle static weight should be irrelevant. The weight of the engine is not born by the sway bar, its born by the springs under each wheel. What the sway bar does is prevent change between the two wheels, so that when you go through a turn, the car is "flatter".

I guess I could see where weight might come into play in terms of height above the wheels with a given spring, but since we're all running lifts at this point anyway, it's kind of irrelevant.

Let's suppose for a second we are absolutely terrible drivers, and are up next to an infinite cliff. We let one front wheel dangle off this cliff. Most of our weight is over the other three tires. I guess weight of the engine etc., might effect how high the fender is over the tire that's on the ground, but our tire dangling over the edge is not really effected by weight at all. So what is holding said tire up? Essentially, it's the geometry of the UCA and LCA, and maybe if somebody really screwed up, the shock. However, at stock Sway Bar position, the sway bar is also opposing it as it is a spring trying to keep the two tires at the same position. This is what the disconnect removes from the equation for a grand total of 4 inches.

Your assertion that the weight is a major factor makes way more sense for talking about going through curves. This is where the sway bar is designed for the weight of the car. The engineers have to balance the need for flat turning vs users desire for articulation. If you need more proof that this is the trade, look at what toyota's page has to say on KDSS: 2021 Toyota 4Runner Features And I quote: "When taking on extreme off-road terrain, this system is designed to automatically decouple 4Runner's sway bars as needed helping improve wheel articulations"

So yeah, toyota thinks its a big enough feature off road to put KDSS on the front of the new 4runners. I can't retrofit KDSS, but I can buy myself a little more articulation with some hand tools and the McMaster Carr catalog xD

 

[duffdog]

If a swaybar is designed correctly (which Toyotas is), then the vehicle static weight should be irrelevant. The weight of the engine is not born by the sway bar, its born by the springs under each wheel. What the sway bar does is prevent change between the two wheels, so that when you go through a turn, the car is "flatter".

I guess I could see where weight might come into play in terms of height above the wheels with a given spring, but since we're all running lifts at this point anyway, it's kind of irrelevant.

Let's suppose for a second we are absolutely terrible drivers, and are up next to an infinite cliff. We let one front wheel dangle off this cliff. Most of our weight is over the other three tires. I guess weight of the engine etc., might effect how high the fender is over the tire that's on the ground, but our tire dangling over the edge is not really effected by weight at all. So what is holding said tire up? Essentially, it's the geometry of the UCA and LCA, and maybe if somebody really screwed up, the shock. However, at stock Sway Bar position, the sway bar is also opposing it as it is a spring trying to keep the two tires at the same position. This is what the disconnect removes from the equation for a grand total of 4 inches.

Your assertion that the weight is a major factor makes way more sense for talking about going through curves. This is where the sway bar is designed for the weight of the car. The engineers have to balance the need for flat turning vs users desire for articulation. If you need more proof that this is the trade, look at what toyota's page has to say on KDSS: 2021 Toyota 4Runner Features And I quote: "When taking on extreme off-road terrain, this system is designed to automatically decouple 4Runner's sway bars as needed helping improve wheel articulations"

So yeah, toyota thinks its a big enough feature off road to put KDSS on the front of the new 4runners. I can't retrofit KDSS, but I can buy myself a little more articulation with some hand tools and the McMaster Carr catalog xD

Hmmm...

I can see where a layperson might be tricked into believing something simply because it was created in the marketing department. I am assuming you have physically looked underneath one of the new 4runner Trail's? If you had bothered to do so, you would notice that the KDSS does not "decouple" the front two wheels at all, no part of that system is decoupled from any other part of that system at any time during its operation. The systems are typically disabled by people with lifts as it has been discovered by millions of people that they don't actually do anything. It merely rotates ONE SIDE of the swaybar mount away from the vehicle frame while still keeping both wheels connected completely to each other like a normal swaybar. Factually, it is a normal swaybar, it just has a unidirectional hydraulic pump which moves one of the mount points downward and leaves the other where it is. By the way, there is a second rear kdss system on the rear of the 4runner that also doesn't do anything that is typically disabled or deleted. The KDSS garbage is pure snake oil, I think the only reason it was added was to increase the sales price of trucks by providing a psuedo-useful non-feature like undercoating and color keyed floormats which can increase dealer profit margins.

Any swaybar ever invented has one function: to reduce sway. Sway is determined by roll-center, steering angle and sprung weight. There are no other factors which go into its design.

 

[gimlithepirate]

Hmmm...

I can see where a layperson might be tricked into believing something simply because it was created in the marketing department. I am assuming you have physically looked underneath one of the new 4runner Trail's? If you had bothered to do so, you would notice that the KDSS does not "decouple" the front two wheels at all, no part of that system is decoupled from any other part of that system at any time during its operation. The systems are typically disabled by people with lifts as it has been discovered by millions of people that they don't actually do anything. It merely rotates ONE SIDE of the swaybar mount away from the vehicle frame while still keeping both wheels connected completely to each other like a normal swaybar. Factually, it is a normal swaybar, it just has a unidirectional hydraulic pump which moves one of the mount points downward and leaves the other where it is. By the way, there is a second rear kdss system on the rear of the 4runner that also doesn't do anything that is typically disabled or deleted. The KDSS garbage is pure snake oil, I think the only reason it was added was to increase the sales price of trucks by providing a psuedo-useful non-feature like undercoating and color keyed floormats which can increase dealer profit margins.

Any swaybar ever invented has one function: to reduce sway. Sway is determined by roll-center, steering angle and sprung weight. There are no other factors which go into its design.

Having wheeled behind a pair of 5th gens where one had KDSS and one does not, I can assure you that the motion of the two was significantly different. I wouldn't personally put it on my vehicle because of how much it complicates lifting, but it DEFINITLEY does some interesting things. The hydraulic mount determines the range of motion causing it to behave more like a connected or disconnected sway bar. That said, it does not have equal amounts of articulation on each side due to the pivot point of the KDSS system. Not a big deal if you stick with stock suspension, but you lift it an inch and its out of whack.

You are correct that it has no function other than reducing sway. That said, the whole point of KDSS is that it lets Toyota run a bigger sway bar on road, so the car has less sway on road. If articulation really weren't a concern, all sway bars would be significantly bigger, particularly in higher dollar cars. However, the goal is for the strut/spring structure to dominate ride feel, with the sway bar helping, so the size is carefully (or not so carefully in some cases) selected.

If you need further proof that the sway bar effects articulation, look through the thread about the prothane bushings for the sway bar on here. In the first post, the author notes that offroaders may not like the upgraded bushings because it reduces articulation.

To everyone else bringing the popcorn :snacker::snacker: to this thread, I should be able to do an articulation test this weekend. Will post some pictures when I do.